Problem Child
by JediMayukiDaAWESOME
Summary: Hope Estheim hates his home life. Everything needs to be perfect and proper, and that makes him sick. He rebels against his parents and runs away from home at the age of seventeen. So what will happen when he meets Sergeant Claire 'Lightning' Farron while on the run? HopeXLight, SnowXSerah, FangXVanille, AU. Rated T for drugs, alcohol, swearing, and smoking. Rating may go up to M.
1. Prologue

**Problem Child**

**Summary:**** Hope Estheim hates his home life. Everything needs to be perfect and proper, and that makes him sick. He rebels against his parents and runs away from home at the age of seventeen. He gets into drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and fights and becomes a juvenile criminal. So what will happen when he meets Sergeant Claire 'Lightning' Farron while on the run? HopeXLight, SnowXSerah, FangXVanille, AU. Rated T for drugs, alcohol, swearing, and smoking. Rating may go up to M.**

**Prologue**

Hope Estheim slams his bedroom door behind him, pissed off beyond belief. He locked the door and stormed over to his bed, slamming himself down onto it and ripped off his shoes and jacket, tossing them to the floor. He lay down on his back and gave a frustrated cry, thinking about what happened today.

He came home with a 'D' on his History test, and a couple of yard duties for fighting.

His parents were furious.

His father yelled at him for them both, and Hope yelled right back. His mother, while she was mad at Hope for the fighting and for the grade, tried to break up the fight before it got too far but the damage was done.

Hope had snapped and had punched his father in the face, knocking him out.

His mother screamed as she watched her husband go down and she rushed to his side, tending to his head. Hope grimaced in disgust at this and had thundered up to his room, in pure anger.

He finally had enough of the crap: 'You must get the best test scores, Hope', 'You must behave yourself, Hope.' He had enough of this shit life. His father never supported him or gave him praise, his mother never told him to just do his best, and when he was younger and had gotten bullied, his father didn't deal with it, he just told his son to take it like a man.

So he fought back against the bullies, and his father punished him for that.

He turned around and punched his wall, leaving a hole in the wall. He had enough of this shit.

He was so breaking out of this hell.


	2. Chapter 1: One Last Rebel

**Chapter 1: One Last Rebel**

It was 12:00 at night, the beginning of a new day.

Hope had his backpack bag packed with clothes, food, bottled water, toiletries and medical supplies. He put his wallet into his jean pocket, shoved his Airwing Boomerang in the back of his belt and attached his Bowie knife to his left hip on his belt.

He slunk downstairs with a can of red spray paint and started spraying graffiti everywhere in the kitchen, the lounge room and the walls on either side of the staircase. He did the same thing to the bathroom before going upstairs and packing the spray paint in his bag. He then grabbed his 'science project' and stood at the top of the staircase with it in his hand.

It was a low-powered bomb.

He activated it and ditched it downstairs, letting it land in the space connecting the kitchen to the lounge room. He quickly slung the backpack on his back and stood on one side of his bedroom before running to his window and jumped through it, just as the downstairs bomb exploded.

Hope tumbled to the ground, rolling to break his fall and watched the lower story of his house crash and burn. His mother's screams were heard from outside, along with his father's yelling. He scoffed at this and sneered "So long, you bastards."

He started running into the night, pulling the hood of his black hoodie over his head.


	3. Chapter 2: Investigation

**Chapter 2: Investigation**

Sergeant Lightning Farron frowned at the report and asked "So you want me to check who did this attack?" Lieutenant Amodar nodded and replied "Yep. The two victims of the bombing, a Mr and Mrs. Estheim, said that their seventeen year old son, Hope Estheim, did the attack." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and asked "Was there a motive for their son to do this?" Amodar shrugged and said "Beats me. That's your job to find out." She sighed and pocketed the report. "I'll head there right away," she said.

She saluted him and headed out the door, heading straight for the exit of the station. She reached her reddish-brown and black velocycle and hopped on it, revving it up and looked at the address on the report. "19A, Felix Heights, Alexander Crescent, Palumpolum," she murmured to herself before pocketing the report once again and riding off down the street.

About half an hour later, Lightning had reached Felix Heights and took the elevator to the house on the top of the building. When she reached the top, some other police officers and some forensic scientists were already investigating the scene. The house was burnt severely, but not to the ground, and a couple in their mid to late thirties in their night gear were holding onto each other as they talked to an officer, the pair distraught, with the man looking rather angered.

Lightning walked up to the pair and she asked "What's happening, Rygdea?" The officer, Officer Rygdea, replied "According to Mr. Estheim here, his son, Hope Estheim, did the crime. The boy was rebellious and had violent tendencies, as shown by the bruise on the side of the head where Hope had punched him yesterday afternoon."

Lightning raised her eyebrow and said as more as a statement than a question "Really?" He nodded and Lightning turned to the couple. She held out a hand to Mr. Estheim and introduced "I'm Sergeant Lightning Farron. I'm leading this investigation." Mr. Estheim shook her hand briskly and replied "I'm Bartholomew Estheim, and this is my wife, Nora. Thank you for helping us here." She nodded back and said "I'm going to be asking you some questions, so, things like how Hope is personality wise so we can figure out a motive."

They nodded and walked away from the scene a bit and sat down on two benches facing each other, Lightning on one bench, the Estheim's on the other. Nora then began "As a child, Hope was a quiet boy. He didn't have many friends, and got bullied often. He then started to fight back against the bullies when he was around eight, and he caused injuries and received a fair few of them himself. When that happened, Hope had changed for the worst. He started picking fights, his grades dropped and he didn't care at all. He even started fighting back against us."

Lightning frowned and asked "What happened when he progressed to a teenager?" Bartholomew glared slightly at the ground and answered "He became demonic. He started drinking, and we caught him smoking two years ago. He severely injured his fellow students, and had nearly killed a student last year. The victim ended up with a handful of ruptured organs, external and internal bleeding, and broken limbs."

Lightning cringed slightly and Bartholomew continued "And now, he's done this stunt. The reason we know it's him is for three facts: 1) His aggressive nature, 2) He is not here, and 3) He left hate messages on the walls." Lightning asked "Can I see them?" They nodded and got up, leading Lightning into the burnt house.

Despite the heavy burns and destruction, Lightning could see traces of red spray paint on the walls. She even deciphered part of a message on the lounge room wall behind the remains of the couple's plasma TV on the wall:

"I … AT … U … BAS … RDS … !"

"YO … ABA … NED … ME … !"

"GO … AN … IE!"

"Y … O … NE … ER … CAR …D … AB … OT … ME!"

"I … WA … YO … R … SON!"

Lightning shuddered slightly at this and she turned around to see a picture of Hope and his parents when he was around fourteen years old. She picked it up and pocketed it so she could find him and followed Bartholomew into the bathroom, which was mostly untouched. The writing as clear as day and it said:

"I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY, YOU ARSEHOLES!"

"DID YOU WANT YOUR SON TO BE LIKE ME?"

"IF SO, WELL DONE, YOU'VE MADE A MONSTER YOU WHORING LOWLIVES!"

More messages were written there and Lightning frowned. "Why does he hate you so? Did something happen in the past?" Bartholomew frowned in concentration and replied slowly "I think I know why. Just before Hope was fighting back, he would come to us, crying about it. I eventually told him to take it like a man and don't let them take him down with words. And so, I think he thought I meant to actually fight back like a man. After the first case of fighting back, I punished him severely and he screamed 'You told me to take it like a man, so I did! What do you want from me?!' and ran to his room. Ever since then he was violent."

Lightning nodded and said "You're right. This would make his motive. So, really, this whole incident would be your fault." As Bartholomew opened his mouth to argue, Lightning raised her hand for silence and continued "What you did to your son was inexcusable. You can't tell a fragile eight year old to man up. What did you expect from your son when you had him?" Bartholomew replied firmly "Perfect grades, perfect and proper manners and behaviour, and being a strong, powerful gentleman."

Lightning was shaking her head from the first time 'perfect' was spoken, and she said "That's a bad move, and bad expectations. If you expect the best and set up all these boundaries, kids like Hope will rebel and fight back. As a parent, you're supposed to protect your child, tell them what's right and wrong and let them figure out everything else for themselves, and let them learn from their mistakes. And because of this, the shy boy you once had as a son is now a juvenile criminal, who put your lives at risk, on purpose."

They looked crestfallen and Lightning left them after saying goodbye. The people on sight took pictures of everything as Lightning left, and now, she was off to find Hope Estheim and, bring him to justice.


	4. Chapter 3: Purple Haze

**Chapter 3: Purple Haze**

Hope stumbled into an alleyway that night, his Bowie knife bloodied in his hand and anger coursing through his veins. He had stabbed some hobo who tried to mug him for his money, and he ended up dead by Hope's hand. However, the hobo had some cigs and whiskey on him, along with some weed in a plastic packet labelled 'Purple Haze'. Hope took the hobo's bong as well before he did a runner, and he ended up in an alleyway in the Slums of Palumpolum.

Hope punched the wall in anger and yelled "FUCK!" into the night. He didn't want to have murder charges pressed against him as well, his record was bad enough as it was and he had wanted it to keep that way.

Too late now.

Hope slammed his back against the wall of the alleyway beside an overfilled dumpster. He slid to the ground and withdrew the weed, the bong and his lighter and started setting it up. He lit the lighter and started smoking, letting the fumes cloud his mind like its namesake. Everything looked funny and Hope started to smile and laugh weirdly at everything. He looked at the dumpster beside him and started rolling on the ground, laughing loudly at it with a pointed finger.

People walked past him, looking weirdly at him from the corners of their eyes. Hope looked at them just once and he burst out laughing again, clutching his stomach from how much he was laughing. Parents hurried their children along and teenagers cheered Hope on as they saw he was doing drugs and saw he was obviously a rebel. In fact, some of the other teens started drugging with him and that led to more laughter and pretty soon, the alleyway turned into a party. The older teens started bringing alcohol and more drugs to the alleyway and all of the teens were either getting drunk, high, or both.

Their partying went on through the night, causing the people in the surrounding buildings to lose their sleep until proper chaos broke out at around three in the morning.

Two drunken teenaged guys of around nineteen started fighting over a girl who was also drunk, and that led to an all out street brawl of around eighty drunken teens. It interrupted traffic and late night civilian pedestrians and the surrounding buildings were starting to get damaged from the fighters. Hope, who was asleep out of sight behind a dumpster, woke up and rubbed his pounding head that was caused from the drugs and the hangover he currently had. After he regained his bearings, he stood up as he saw the fight, and repacked his gear, wiped off the dried blood from his knife, re-sheathing it, and he ran into the fray with his bag on his back, ready to fight his way out before the cops came and arrested him.

He smashed one guy in the head before punching another in the jaw, kneeing him in the gut as he went. He slammed another into a building on his right and roundhouse kicked another into a lamppost. He body slammed onto guy to the ground, tripping over him slightly as he ran past, punched another in the gut, and head-butt another, shaking his head clear afterwards. Hope continued running, shoving two older teens to the side as he did so and he escaped the crowd, pulling on his hood as he ran.

Hope didn't stop running until he reached the other side of the Slums, which had an exit leading outside of Palumpolum. He looked around, making sure he wasn't being followed and ran through the exit, unknowing of the figure hidden in the shadows watching him leave. He jogged through the exit, keeping a steady pace, and he reached the outskirts of the city with a look of sick satisfaction on his face. He nabbed a dark blue and black velocycle nearby and drove out of the city, heading to the casino and pub ridden capital city of Eden.

Meanwhile, the figure picked up his mobile phone and rung a number on Speed Dial. The voice on the other end said _"Hello?"_ and the figure replied "Boss, I've found Lightning's target. A few hours ago he killed some hobo that tried to mug him, and soon after, a teenaged party broke out a few hours ago in the Western Slums. I had to watch from afar because of the sheer number of them. A massive fight occurred and he fought his way out, and now he's leaving the city right now via the tunnel in the Eastern Slums."

The man on the other end of the phone cursed _"Dammit! Those tunnels are too far away from the Guardian Corps. Headquarters so we can't head him off! I'll tell Lightning the news and you go follow him without him knowing. Give us a call if you lose him."_ The figure nodded and replied "Will do, Boss. Wish me luck."

The figure hung up on his boss and he went through the exit as well, ready to tail Hope Estheim.

While this happened, the boss called up Sergeant Lightning Farron's home number, waiting for her to answer. A young female's voice answered _"Hello?"_ and the boss smiled. "Hey babe," he replied, "it's Snow here." The voice exclaimed _"Oh! Hi Snow! How are you?"_ He chuckled and replied "I'm going good Serah, however, there's something important I need to tell Sis." Serah's voice sounded confused. _"What is it?"_ she asked. Snow answered "It's for her new criminal case. Gadot just called me and gave me some important info about the kid she's after." She asked shocked _"What do you mean, a kid?!"_ He sighed and replied "This is a juvenile criminal case. Light can tell you more about it later. However, I _really_ need to pass on the info, it's important." She replied "Okay. I'll go and get her."

He heard Serah call out _"Claire! Snow needs to talk to you. It's urgent!"_ and he soon heard Lightning sigh and asked tiredly _"Hello?"_ Snow smiled and replied "Hey Sis-" before Lightning cut off _"I'm not your sister. What do you want?"_ Snow raised his eyebrows and said "It's about that kid you're after. He had killed a hobo that tried to mug him a few hours ago, and now he has just left through the exit in the Eastern Slums after he joined a teenaged party in the Western Slums for a few hours until a massive fight broke out. Gadot's currently tailing him and he'll give me a call back if he loses him or if he knows where that kid's going."

Lightning swore and said "I'll call the GC Headquarters and I'll head down there right away to find the body and then I'll head to the fight. Cheers Snow and keep me updated." He replied "No probs. I'll get NORA to help stop the fight. See ya soon."

He hung up his phone, got onto his blue, white and gold motorcycle and headed for the Slums, ready for a fight.


	5. Chapter 4: Troublesome Cases

**Chapter 4: Troublesome Cases**

The police group known as NORA was a special part of the Guardian Corps. They only deal with cases that involve violence within the selected areas they are stationed in, especially in Bodhum where their HQ was stationed. Snow Villiers was the leader of NORA, and he was currently stationed in Palumpolum, ready to tackle this juvenile criminal riot.

He had surrounded the teenagers with his group, all of the NORA officers armed with batons and shields. Snow yelled out to the rebelling teens "CEASE HOSTILITY; OR WE'LL BE FORCED TO USE FORCE!" The rebels didn't listen and they proceeded to throw anything hard at them. Snow yelled out "RAISE ARMS!" The NORA police force all raised their batons and Snow ordered "COMPANY, ATTACK!" The officers closed in on the large group and lunged at the rebels, whacking the ones closest to them with their batons.

The teenagers were cornered into the alleyway and twenty-four of them got arrested. The rest of the teens were quickly subdued by the time Lightning got there. "All taken care of?" she asked. He nodded and replied "Yep, the kids have been subdued." She sighed and she said "Let Yuj take over. I need your help with finding the body of the hobo that Hope killed." Snow nodded again and suddenly, his phone went off. He answered it and said "Hello?" Gadot's voice on the other end replied _"Snow? It's Gadot. The target has left the city and is headed to Eden on a stolen dark blue and black velocycle. However, I've unfortunately lost sight of him."_

Snow frowned and said "Don't worry about it Gadot. At least we know where he's headed. Head down to Eden and see if you can find him again. By the way, where was that hobo killed?" Gadot thought for a second before answering _"He was in an alleyway on Midgar Avenue, pulled behind a dumpster. Be prepared for it."_ Snow replied "Will do. See you soon." He hung up and said "The body is behind a dumpster in an alleyway on Midgar Avenue. He said to be prepared for it." Lightning nodded and replied "Alright. Let's go." They hopped onto their separate vehicles and drove off down the street, radioing Yuj about the situation on the way.

The pair reached Midgar Avenue and saw three alleyways on either side of the dead end avenue. The pair got out of their vehicles and Lightning ordered "Take the left hand side. I'll take the right." The checked each alleyway, finding nothing on either side, until Snow reached his last one and called out "Sis! I've found him!" Lightning, too focused on the case to contradict him for calling her 'sis', ran over to him and saw a truly awful sight.

The man looked weird, and not just because of the fact he was dead. He had dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail, dull blue eyes, really red lips and extremely pale skin, made extra pale by the loss of blood coming out of his chest. Snow said "I know this guy from high school. He's Kefka Mackenzie, a messed up idiot who was always either stoned or drunk. He's been imprisoned before for committing drunken crimes, doing drugs and dealing them."

Lightning grimaced and muttered "A criminal killing a criminal. How ironic." Snow checked the body and said "He was drunk when he attacked Hope. His breath reeks of whiskey you see. He has cuts on his forearms and biceps, and five stab wounds to his chest, two of which were fatal. His pancreas and the right lung are most likely pierced, which meant he died fairly quickly, and that the kid is most likely left handed. His body is also around four hours dead and his body is in rigor mortis."

Lightning nodded and said "Call the forensic squad here so they can take the body." Snow nodded and started making the call while Lightning looked at Hope's picture and started to think _"The kid must've really been messed up in order to do this, or he had no choice. It most likely was in self defence, but with the number of injuries on this guy's body; it's hard to tell. From what I have gathered, Hope was indeed violent, and had nearly killed a student before, but he wouldn't want to get murder charges pressed against him. Man this case is troublesome."_

Snow hung up the phone and informed "The squad is on its way. What do you want to do in the meantime?" Lightning paused for a moment and said "I'll go back to Bodhum and get some rest while you stay here with the body. Leave after you've told the forensic squad everything and I'll break the news to Mr and Mrs. Estheim later on this morning." He nodded and answered "Alright. See you later."

She waved over her shoulder in recognition as she left and she hopped onto her velocycle, driving off back home.

By the time Lightning reached her home, it was four-thirty in the morning. She parked her velocycle in the garage and unlocked the front door quietly, coming in to see her little sister Serah fast asleep on the couch in an upright position with half a cup of cocoa in her hands. Lightning smiled slightly at this and carefully took the cup out of her hands, setting it quietly onto the coffee table, and gently picked her up, carrying her to her room. Serah twitched a bit in her sleep and mumbled "Claire" before falling into deeper sleep. Lightning's smile turned slightly sad and she whispered "I'm here Serah. I'm here."

She reached her little sister's room and gently tucked her into the bed, kissing her forehead lightly before leaving and turning off her sister's bedside lamp. She quietly closed her sister's door behind her and turned off all of the lights before going to her own room, ready to get some much needed sleep.

It was going to be a long morning, and quite frankly, she is not looking forward to it.


	6. Chapter 5: Explanations

**Chapter 5: Explanations**

Lightning woke up at ten thirty in the morning, tired as hell, and she groaned as she dragged herself out of bed, having to make two attempts. She stumbled down the stairs and found a perky looking Serah cooking some pancakes for breakfast. Serah looked over at Lightning and said "Good morning, Claire! How are you this morning?" Lightning grumbled as she slumped into a chair at the table "Bloody terrible." Serah chuckled and asked "Coffee?" Lightning rested her chin on the table and replied "Please ..."

Serah chuckled again and quickly turned on the electric kettle before flipping a pancake over on the stove and pulling a cup out of the cupboard above her. She placed the pancake on the mound of pancakes she made for Lightning and passed it to her with a knife and fork. Lightning slowly jerked herself off of the table and started spooning ice-cream and some honey on them, topping it off with a strawberry. Serah made two coffees, both white with one spoon of sugar and placed them on the table before grabbing her own pancakes and put on the same toppings as Lightning's.

While eating breakfast, Serah asked "What's this new case about? According to Snow, you're trying to arrest a kid." Lightning sighed after gulping down a bit of her coffee and said "Actually, the 'kid' is a teenager, nearly an adult. He's a seventeen year old boy called 'Hope Estheim'." Serah spat her coffee into her mug at this and started coughing. Lightning looked concerned at her and was about to stand up when Serah looked up at her and exclaimed "**WHAT?!**" with watery eyes from choking on her coffee. Lightning repeated slowly while still staring at her "I'm after a seventeen year old called 'Hope Estheim'."

Serah shook her head slowly and said quietly "He was a friend of mine in primary school." Lightning's jaw dropped and she gasped "_What?!_" Serah continued with a slightly louder voice "He was a quiet boy when I met him, with fairly friendly parents. He was introverted, shy, but a really kind and gentle boy. He was my friend for three years until he had to move schools for some reason." She looked up at Lightning and asked "What happened to him?"

Lightning closed her eyes and sighed again, not wanting to hurt Serah's feelings, but she had the right to know. She looked at Serah with slightly sad and stern eyes and replied "Ever since he turned eight years old, he became violent towards the people that bullied him. He must've moved schools because of it. He then started to start fights, his grades started to drop, and he began rebelling against his parents. However, by the time he became a teenager, he started to drink, he started severely injuring his fellow students, in fact he nearly killed one, and his parents caught him smoking when he was fifteen. However, two nights ago, he wrote hate messages all over the walls of his parent's house in spray paint, and he used a low-powered bomb to destroy the bottom of his house."

Serah lightly and shakily gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth with widened eyes. Lightning sighed yet again and she continued "However, that's not all. Last night, he participated in a massive teenaged party in the Slums, and he escaped when things started getting violent. However, around three to four hours before that, a drunk man tried to mug him, who was called Kefka Mackenzie, some drunken stoner Snow went to high school with, and, in either self defence or on purpose, Hope had killed him."

"NO!" Serah yelled as she jumped to her feet. Lightning looked at her shocked, and Serah's breathing had turned ragged and deep. Serah slowly sat down and placed her elbow on the tabletop with her hand covering her crying eyes. Lightning's shoulders sagged at this and she stood up and sat at Serah's side, hugging her to her body. Serah cried into Lightning's chest and Lightning murmured "I'm going to tell Hope's parents after breakfast. Do you want to see them?" She felt Serah nod and Lightning rubbed Serah's back as she got all over her tears out.

After Serah had calmed down, the pair finished their breakfast and rode on Lightning's velocycle to Felix Heights.

They eventually reached the half destroyed house and Serah looked at it heartbrokenly. Lightning squeezed her shoulder in reassurance and Lightning knocked on the damaged door. The door opened and Nora Estheim stood in the doorway and gave Lightning a smile "Good morning, Ms. Farron!" she greeted, "How may I help you?" Lightning replied sadly "I have some information about your son and his whereabouts, but first, I want to introduce my little sister, Serah Farron."

Nora looked at Serah and her eyes widened. "_Serah?!_" she gasped "I-Is that really _you?!_" Serah smiled slightly and replied "Indeed it is, Mrs. Estheim. Nine years is a long time." Nora smiled and hugged her, a gesture she returned and she called out into the ruined house after she let go "Bartholomew! Ms. Farron is back, along with her little sister, Serah!" A male voice exclaimed in shock "_Serah?!_" and Bartholomew Estheim came into view. He smiled and greeted "My goodness Serah, it's good to see you! You've grown into quite the lady!" She smiled back and greeted "Thank you, Bartholomew. You both haven't aged a day."

He waved the two inside and Nora asked as she sat the pair at the slightly scorched table "So, how have you been, Serah?" Serah smiled and replied "I have been going really well! I've become a primary school teacher, although I'm not teaching just yet, and I have just gotten engaged." Nora screeched "_**WHAT?!**_" while Bartholomew looked completely and utterly stunned. Serah laughed softly and expanded "My boyfriend, Snow Villiers, proposed at the Bodhum Fireworks Display two weeks ago. Lightning wasn't really _too_ _happy_ with my decision, but she eventually allowed it." Nora and Bartholomew smiled at that and Nora said "Well we wish you all the best Serah. But now onto the matter of our son. You said you have news."

Lightning nodded with a serious face and Serah looked depressed. Lightning reported "Hope was followed by one of Snow's co-workers, but he had lost sight of Hope after he escaped via the exit in the Eastern Slums. However, we know that he is heading to Eden, and that co-worker is tailing him now." Bartholomew nodded and said "That is good news. But I have the feeling that something else had happened." Lightning paused and said sadly "However, before he escaped for Eden, he was part of a party that had turned violent at three this morning in the Western Slums. He escaped to the Eastern side of the Slums before the police got there. However, at around midnight, a drunken man that Snow had gone to school with had tried to mug your son. He was a drug dealer and a drunk called Kefka Mackenzie. But, either out of self defence, or on purpose, your son killed him."

"NO!" Nora screamed, looking between the two sisters with widened eyes. When Serah looked away, rubbing her arm, and when Lightning wouldn't falter her hard and sad gaze, Nora placed her face in her hands and started crying her eyes out. Bartholomew on the other hand was speechless, pale faced and slack jawed, and he stuttered "How … wha … did … kill?!" Lightning looked at the table top and said "There were five stab wounds to Kefka's chest, two of with were fatal. One had most likely piercing his pancreas, and the other had definitely pierced his right lung. There were also minor cuts on his forearms and biceps, so there was a struggle. However, despite the amount of stab wounds, he was most likely trying to defend himself since there were signs of a struggle, Kefka was trying to mug him and Hope wouldn't want his criminal record to get even worse by adding 'murder' to it. Hope probably just got carried away, so he might get off with manslaughter instead."

Bartholomew was silent and Nora whispered "Oh god, Hope. How far have you gone?"


	7. Chapter 6: Eden and Arrivals

**Disclaimer:**** *on hands and knees in Japanese apology* GOMENASAI! GOMENASAI! GOMENASAI! GOMENASAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI! I'm SOOOOOO sorry for not updating sooner, but with being ill, my aunty's twin girls being born holiday homework *grimace* and a few other things, I couldn't update my work. Again, I'm SOOOOOOOOO sorry for the wait!**

**Chapter 6: Eden and Arrivals**

Gadot kept an eye on Hope, who was fast asleep behind some boxes in a dead end, and he quietly called Snow, ready to give him the info. Snow asked _"Hello?"_ and Gadot said "Boss, I've found 'im." Snow asked surprised _"What?! Where?!"_ He replied "In a dead end, out of sight behind some cardboard boxes, fast asleep." Snow breathed a sigh of relief and he said _"Phew! Thank god for that!"_ Gadot nodded and he stated "However, Lightning will need backup here. Eden is a huge place, and I lost Hope five times within the past hour. I think we should send 'them' in."

Nothing could be heard on the other end for a second before Snow asked _"Are you sure?"_ Gadot replied "Yep. They are the best trappers and trackers we have in NORA. Lightning would find them useful, despite their … _exuberant_ or _cold_ exteriors." Snow sighed and agreed "Fair enough. They are in Eden HQ right now, so where are you?" Gadot looked at the street name and said "I'm on the corner of Leonheart Drive and Terra Avenue. Also, I'll need a weapon as well." Snow concluded "Alright. I'll call them now and they'll help you keep track of him until Lightning arrives. I'll call Lightning after them. See ya."

Gadot hung up after his boss did and waited for the team to arrive. Nearly an hour later, Hope had woken up and had started to climb over the top of the dead end's wall. Gadot waited until Hope was over the wall before walking towards it, just as a teasing female voice exclaimed "G'day mate! 'U call for backup?"

He spun around and saw Team Oerba, the best tracking and trapping squad in NORA. There were two Pulsian women, one in a blue sari with a red and black lance, and another in pink and covered with beads, bangles and pelts with a casting rod in her hands. A Genome was also present, dressed in teal and blue, a Ronso with a broken horn and a giant spear by his side, and a human male with long black hair and crimson eyes stood in the shadow of the corner wall, flexing his golden clawed hand.

Gadot nodded and replied "Yep, I did. The kid just got over the wall, so I need one or two of you to track him while the rest of us need to stay here and wait for Lightning to come." The Genome looked at the sky with a frown and said "But there isn't even a cloud in the sky!" The group sighed and the woman in the sari groaned as she facepalmed "Not _that_ kind of lightning! Lightning, as in Lightning Farron, the greatest sergeant in the GC, the older sister of Serah Farron, who is getting married to the boss. Get the facts straight and into your miniscule brain Zidane."

Zidane looked at her and exclaimed "Hey! It's not my fault, it was just the way it was said!" The red eyed man growled from his spot "Can it you two. Zidane, get your facts straight, and Fang, stop pissing him off." Gadot nodded to him gratefully and said "Thank you. Now, who wants to go?" The beaded girl jumped up and volunteered "I will!" Gadot turned to her and said "Thank you, Ms …"

She smiled even wider and finished off "Vanille! Oerba Dia Vanille! And you are?" Gadot smiled slightly and replied "Gadot. My name's Gadot. Now, do you want to go by yourself or with someone else?" Fang stepped forward with her double ended lance and boasted loudly "I will! Isn't that right, honey?" She nodded enthusiastically and hugged Fang, squeaking "Of course, Fang!"

They waved goodbye and jumped over the wall in a single bound, jumping out of sight. Gadot frowned slightly and asked "Honey?" The Ronso answered "Kimhari and group know that they are a couple. Fang and Vanille have been a couple for two years now." Gadot nodded and the red eyed man said "Lightning approaches." Zidane looked around and asked "Where Vincent?" He jerked his thumb to the side and Lightning pulled up in her velocycle, kicking up the dust on the road.

She jumped off her ride and asked "Where is he?" Gadot replied immediately "He's on the move. Two of the trackers are following him now." Lightning nodded and said "Alright." She turned to the remaining trackers and asked "What are your names?" Zidane grinned broadly and declared "I'm Zidane Tribal, the best tracker in the business!" Lightning rolled her eyes at this and looked at Kimhari. He said "Kimhari is my name. Kimhari is pleased to meet you." She nodded towards him and looked at Vincent. He introduced "I'm Vincent Valentine. That's all you need to know."

Lightning raised her eyebrows at this and tossed a gun to Gadot. "Who are tracking them now?" she asked him. He caught the gun with ease and said "Two Oerban women called Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille." Lightning groaned and cupped a hand over her eyes and leaned back. "Oh Etro, why Fang?!" she moaned to the heavens. Gadot raised an eyebrow and asked "What's wrong with Fang?" Lightning looked at him and replied "She annoys the fucking shit out of me. On. Purpose. She's as bad as Snow, probably even worse! Ah, fuck my life!"

Gadot raised both eyebrows at this and asked "Do you want me to radio them in?" Lightning murmured in reply "Better you than me" and Gadot radioed them.

There was a lot of static until an accented voice answered "_'ello?_" Gadot said "Fang, its Gadot. Lightning's turned up, so we're ready to go." Fang replied seriously "_Alright. We're on the corner of Airwing Street and Excalibur Road, heading east towards The Eidolon Arcade a kilometre down Excalibur Road. Cut across the rooftops to the Arcade and cut him off there. Some of the side streets end up being dead ends so try and corner him there. He's armed by the way, and he looks like he won't hesitate to fight, so use weapons if need be."_

Gadot replied "Alright. See you soon!" He turned off the radio and Lightning said "Let's go!" They nodded and took to the rooftops over the wall, ready to capture their prey.


	8. Chapter 7: Chase

**Chapter 7: Chase**

Hope walked down the street, his face hidden and out of sight underneath his dark grey hoodie, hoping to reach the downtown section before the cops came after him. He had the feeling he was being watched, but no one that he could see was observing him in any way, shape or form. He shrugged it off and continued on his way, heading towards the Eidolon Arcade, where there is an entrance to downtown in a side street. During this time, he contemplated about what had happened in the past couple of days.

He was still in shock about killing a man, but that faded slightly, 'slightly' being the key word. He had a suspicion that he may have to kill another man down the track, but he hoped to Etro that he would be wrong. He didn't need to get blood on his new set of clothes, or feel it all over his hands.

It gave him the creeps.

He shook his thoughts off and continued down the street, his strides becoming more forceful and purposeful. However, he had a feeling that he wouldn't make it to the Arcade.

And he soon found out why.

As he approached his destination, a GC Sergeant, a female with pink hair, came from behind and said "You're coming with me, Estheim!" Hope's heart jumped and mile and he bolted towards the Arcade, hoping the detour in there would throw her off. However, a Genome, a Ronso, and a man with ginger hair, all of which bore NORA badges were at the front door, stopping him from entering. He slipped into a side street, the one that led to downtown, but two Oerban women also working for NORA stopped him, and he had to run further down the side street, forgetting that it led to a dead end.

He pelted down the street, hoping for a miracle, but no such miracle came, for he was trapped between a dead end and a man in red and black, his eyes and hair matching his outfit. Hope whipped around to face the man and drew his boomerang in one hand and his Bowie knife in the other. He yelled "GET AWAY FROM ME!" The man was unfazed and drew his gun, levelling it to shoulder height. He replied "No" and Hope ran at him, throwing his boomerang at him as a distraction and readied his knife. The man spun to the right to avoid it and shot Hope in the left shoulder, causing him to collapse.

Before Hope's eyes closed and lost consciousness, a group of six people caught up with the black haired man, led by the pink haired woman, who had blue eyes which looked so familiar to him. His eyes closed as she came close to him, and he thought just one thought before losing everything: _'Serah'_.

From the group's point of view, Lightning turned Hope onto his back, seeing his face turning pale from blood loss. She turned to Vincent and said "Good shot, but now we need an ambulance, _now_. Call Eden's Grand Hospital, will you?" Vincent replied "Alright. Does anyone have a phone?" Fang chucked him hers and he walked away from the group so he could speak to the ambulance without any noise distracting him.

Lightning then stripped Hope of his backpack and hoodie and placed the hoodie on the wound, the unconscious Hope whimpering in pain. She chucked his backpack to the side and kept his head elevated by resting his upper body on her lap. Fang grinned and remarked "Gettin' cosy, aren't we Sunshine?" Lightning glared up at her and snapped "Fuck off, Fang." She smirked and whistled in a mocking fashion and exclaimed "Whoa! The bitch is barkin' back!" Lightning rolled her eyes and ditched her phone at Fang's head, scoring right between the eyes.

"Ow!" Fang cried and Lightning growled "Call your base and tell them we've caught Estheim. Get Snow to tell Mr and Mrs. Estheim that he's been arrested, but is to be put into Eden's Grand Hospital due to a shot wound to the shoulder. Now; move it!" Fang, while rubbing her forehead, replied in exasperation "Alright, alright Sunshine." She left in Vincent's direction and Lightning mumbled "Fuck my life" to the heavens before focusing back on Hope.

Vincent came back and said "They're coming right away. I gave Fang's phone back, and she's calling base right now." He walked towards the wall and while holstering his gun and mumbling something along the lines of "I really need to buy a phone ..." Zidane asked "So, what happens to him now?"

Lightning sighed and answered "The judges will evaluate him after he recovers and gives us answers. Since he's juvenile right now, he could get away with either house arrest or minor jail charges because of him blowing up part of his parents' house. However, depending on whether or not he murdered Kefka or he killed him out of self defence, it could land him in either house arrest, or with either minor or major jail charges."

Zidane whistled and stated "Poor bugger. Hate to be in his position." Lightning grimaced and Fang came back, holding out Lightning's phone to her. "I told the boss ev'rythin'," she stated, "but 'e wants to talk to ya." Lightning sighed before taking the phone with her free hand and held it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked and Snow's voice came from the other end of her phone. "_Lightning? It's Snow,_" he said, "_I was just wondering, should I tell Serah everything or do you want to do it?_" Lightning sighed again and replied "You can tell her after you've told his parents. They have the right to know first." Snow answered "_Alright. I'll come around and take him to HQ when he's better. You could do with a break._" Lightning said exasperated "Fine, but I'm going back to work in two weeks. Keep me updated, 'kay?" He finally said "Okay. See you around sis" before hanging up before she could contradict him.

She sighed yet again and hung up, pocketing her phone, and was extremely thankful when the ambulance finally arrived. They relieved Lightning of Hope and Lightning handcuffed Hope's right wrist to the rail, making sure he wouldn't escape. She passed Kimhari the keys and said "Stay at the hospital until he wakes up. Let me know as soon as possible when that happens." Kimhari nodded and walked into the ambulance with the paramedics, leaving the five NORA officers and the lone GC officer alone.

Lightning turned to Zidane and ordered "Zidane, take his gear to HQ. His parents will either collect them or forensics might need them." He replied "Alright" and headed off, and Lightning turned to the rest of the group. "Okay," she said, "I'm heading off. Keep me informed if anything happens." Fang nodded and replied "A'right. See ya, Sunshine!" Lightning flipped her off as she walked away and she took to the rooftops so no one would freak out if they saw the blood on her uniform.

When she got home, she saw Serah crying slightly into her hands with the phone beside her and murmured "Oh Serah." Serah spun around and her eyes widened at the sight of the blood. "_Lightning!_" she whispered in shock and she got up and rushed to her. "Oh Etro Lightning, are you alright?!" she asked rushed and worried. Lightning nodded and replied "Yeah, I'm good. The blood belongs to Hope; not me." Serah's eyes drooped in sadness. "So it was true," she murmured. Lightning nodded and said "He'll be fine; it was just a shot to the shoulder." She rested her hand on Serah's shoulder and finished "Everything will be alright."

Serah nodded and put on a small smile, something her sister returned. Serah then said "Come on, sis. Let's wash those clothes." Lightning nodded and followed her sister, ready for a bath and a clean pair of clothes.


End file.
